“Other than me trying to get the ball, I don’t know what he could’ve been mad at,” Smith said, according to the New York Post. “Some small guards have a little man’s complex. They got to work that out.”

Smith, who stands 6-6, came off a screen with Bayless, 6-3, following closely. Bayless appeared to grab Smith by the arm as they reached the center of the court. Smith reacted with an elbow, to which Bayless responded with a shove to Smith’s face. The push left a cut under Smith’s left eye.

The Knicks have not gotten much trouble from Smith this season. He blended into their new, team-oriented approach, averaging career bests of 16.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists through seven games. He had a season-low nine points Friday.

But only a day after explaining how he had slowed down his life away from basketball, Smith instigated a shoving match with Bayless. Smith later was charged with a technical foul for a play on which he tried to block the shot of Memphis’ Tony Allen.

“I was extremely shocked,” Smith said. “I definitely didn’t think it was a flagrant. They said I wound up and swung at him. I definitely was going for the ball. They didn’t see it that way. Hopefully they’ll take a review on it.”

More than prompting the first show of frustration from Smith, Memphis delivered New York its first loss of the season, 105-95, moving the Knicks’ record to 6-1.